The Children Treating Gunshot Wounds on Chicago's South Side

THE CHILDREN TREATING GUNSHOT WOUNDS ON CHICAGO'S SOUTH SIDE

VICE // PRODUCER

It's no secret that Chicago has become the center of America’s gun violence epidemic over the last few years. In 2017 alone, the city had 3,457 shooting victims-- 246 of which were children. To make matters worse, Chicago’s South Side- where many of these shootings take place- doesn’t even have a trauma center with the ability to treat adult shooting victims.

To help combat these shortfalls, a grassroots community organization known as Ujimaa Medics has stepped in. Ujimaa Medics trains local kids as young as 12 on how to treat gunshot wounds and how to manage crowds at the scene of a shooting.

I spent a week with Ujimaa to learn more about their training first hand.